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Hendrik Smeets
Hendrik Smeets (6 August 1889 - 12 December 1970) was a Brunanter journalist, humorist and cartoonist, dubbed "Father of the Brunanter comics". He is widely known for his children's books written and illustrated as Dr. Valentijn Oo, as well as for the Postbode Willy comic series. Some of his most-celebrated books include Toto and the Martian, The Red Rabbit Family and The Boy with Blue Hair. His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and made him one of the most popular authors after the World War II. Smeets has influenced such diverse cultural figures, as Bruce Witman, the Hoolahan cousins and Hans Leerdam. Biography Early life Smeets was born in Koningstad, the only child of Matthijs Smeets, a doctor, and Cornelia Scholten. Throughout his childhood and adolescent years, he spent the majority of his summer holidays with his mother's relatives in Nieuw Helmond. At the age of 15, he started writing a diary and his memories were later incorporated in some of his books and comics. Matthijs Smeets wanted his son to study in the Royal University of Koningstad, but young Hendrik had different aspirations. In 1910, he moved to Grunbeck, where he wrote articles in the local newspaper until 1913. He moved back to Konigstad in 1914, where he spent time working as a waiter and a cobbler. In 1915, Brunant declared war to Germany and Smeets was sent to fight in France. The living conditions in the trenches and the witnessing of so many deaths, made him a true pacifist and offered him material for his books A Rose in the Mud and The Lucky Boy. Journalist and author Upon his return from the war, Smeets wrote two anti-war novels, both of which were moderately successful. He subsequently worked for ''De Waarheid'', but he resigned in 1919 due to ideological differences. He then became a journalist for the now-defunct Koningstad Krant. Smeets became the first columnist to accompany his articles with caricatures, an innovation which was well-received by the readers. In 1934 he illustrated a books with tales by Hans August Detker. Smeets continued to work for Cape Times until 1941, shortly before the German invasion. He fled to London and then to Edinburgh with his family. He lived there until the end of war. Much of his book Little Elma was written during this period. Illustrator and first books Smeets returned in Koningstad on August 1945. He was employed by Koningstad Krant once more, but not as a journalist; Smeets' Mailman Willy became the first comic strip syndicated by a Brunanter newspaper. Mailman Willy drew humour from the people and situations Willy would encounter along his mail delivery route in an anonymous small town. It was also the first true comic created by a Brunanter. Little Emma, which Smeets completed in 1945, was published in 1947. Two years later, he wrote Toto and the Martian. It is one of the most popular readings for children even nowadays. Smeets illustrated both books. Final years Smeets continued creating Postbode Willy strips until 1950, when he resigned and focused on children's books. During that period, he wrote some of his best known books. Between 1960 and 1963 he wrote another comic series, Henk and Herman, drawn by then young Jeroen de Moor. Since 1966, he suffered from pancreatic cancer, but his health seemed to improve in 1969. He finally died in 1970. Personal life Smeets married theatre actress Caroline Grothues on 10 June 1923. Their marriage lasted for more than thirty years, until Caroline's death in 1960. They had three children: Marjolein (1925-2002), Heleen (1926-2004) and Matthijs (1929-2009). Trough his daughter Heleen, he is grandfather of Ingrid, Carl and Isaac Bosch and great-grandfather of volleyball player Karen Van Steen. His father Matthijs was a son of Belgian immigrants from Antwerp and his mother came from the Dutch province of Limburg. Smeets suffered a mild stroke in 1964 and was briefly hospitalized. He lost sight in his left eye as the result. He frequently joked, stating that everything was blue from this eye. Bibliography Children's Books *''Little Elma'' (1947) *''Toto and the Martian'' (1949) *''The Red Rabbit Family'' (1950) *''Maud and the Tiny Parrot'' (1953) *''The Boy with Blue Hair '' (1957) *''The Hero of Summer'' (1961) Adult fiction *''A Rose in the Mud'' (1920) *''The Lucky Boy'' (1922) *''The Talking Cat'' (1948) Comics *''Postbode Willy'' (1945-1950) *''Henk and Herman'' (1960-1963) Others *''Detker's Fairy Tales'' (1934) Category:Journalists Category:Writers Category:Comics artists Category:Dead people Category:1889 births